SRINAGAR: With no snow in famous tourist destinations such as Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg, an off-beat tourist destination Sinthan Pass in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district with awe-inspiring mountain pass covered with a thick film of snow is becoming a hot tourist spot.
The local travel agents are diverting the visitors to the place, which is the only snow covered tourist destination in Valley at present. A tour operator Sajjad Ahmed Kralyari said that with the tourists disheartened by no snow in famous destinations due to ongoing dry spell in the Valley, the tour operators are now arranging trips to Sinthan Top.
Sinthan Top is a snow-clad mountain peak situated at 12,500 ft connecting south Kashmir’s Anantnag district with Kishtwar district in Jammu region via Kokernag.
Sinthan Top is a lesser-known and an offbeat tourist destination in Kashmir and it used to be closed during winter months. “However, this year owing to less snowfall, the Sinthan Top is open and vehicles can ply towards the mountain Pass,” Sajad said.
He said that tourists are mesmerised by the landscapes covered with white carpet of snow against the backdrop of majestic Himalayan peaks. According to Sajad, a good number of tourists have visited the Sinthan Top in the last few days and all of them were all praise for the place.
Another tour operator, Hashim Ali said that since there is no snow in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, they are diverting tourists to picturesque Sinthan Top. “The tourists come to Kashmir in winters to enjoy snow. They are disheartened on not finding snow in Gulmarg, Pahalgam but once they visit here, they are overjoyed and are awestruck by the beauty of the place. They enjoy snow sledge-ride, playing with snowballs, and taking pictures and videos,” he said.
A tourist couple from Maharashtra said that they are satisfied after visiting the snow covered Sinthan Top. “We visited Pahalgam and there was no snow. Then we visited Sinthan Top and spent our leisure time there. We will take good memories of the place along with us. It is a very beautiful place and people visiting Kashmir now should visit this place,” they said.
The tourist flow to the Sinthan Top is bound to increase further with more tourists likely to visit the snow covered place during their visit to the Valley. “We did not find snow anywhere in Srinagar, Gulmarg or Pahalgam. Sinthan Top is the only place where you will find snow. Our journey to see snow in Kashmir is successful and we are returning satisfied,” said a tourist Karan from Chennai.
